Summer Passage to make domestic appearance before Melbourne

Tom Walter - Tuesday July 25

ATC Sires' Produce Stakes runner-up Summer Passage will trial on both sides of the Tasman before a Melbourne spring campaign.

Summer Passage. Photo: Trish Dunell

Summer Passage, trained at Matamata in New Zealand by Lance O'Sullivan and Andrew Scott, won the Group I Sistema Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie in March before beating all bar Invader in the Group I ATC Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m) at Randwick during The Championships in April.

While Invader is on a path towards the Group I Golden Rose (1400m) in September, Summer Passage is set to campaign solely in Melbourne and will be readied with two barrier trials.

"We will be giving him a trial at Te Teko and then he'll go to Australia after that and have a trial there before he kicks off," O'Sullivan told the NZ Racing Desk.

The son of Snitzel is likely to resume in the Group II Danehill Stakes (1200m) down the Flemington straight course on September 16.

The Group I Coolmore Stud Stakes, run over the same track and distance on November 1, will be the main target for Summer Passage, which was sold at last year's Inglis Easter Yearling Sale for $800,000.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Hong Kong Summed Up - Dec 22 - Brave Smash Winning Double
A double for Brave Smash, including a new winner, also new winners for Hellbent and Kermadec, and three yearling catalogue updates amongst seven Australasian bred winners at Sha Tin on Sunday.
2024 Favourite Foal Winner
Firstly we’d like to thank everyone for taking an interest in our foal gallery and supporting their favourites, but there was always a sentimental top pick for many and the most famous foal in the country has now won his first race!
Four MM Lead Ups for Icarian Dream - what are the stats?
Two-year-old filly Icarian Dream’s win in the B.J. McLachlan Stakes at Eagle Farm on Saturday will see her head into the Magic Millions 2YO Classic having had four starts before year’s end, which might seem a lot in this day and age – but is it? We’ve had a look.
Caulfield race to decide direction for Summer Passage
Next month’s Group III Caulfield Guineas Prelude (1400m) at Caulfield will be a campaign deciding run for Summer Passage.
Summer Passage Arrives at Mapperley Stud
A Group I winning juvenile by champion sire Snitzel, Summer Passage will stand at Mapperley Stud in New Zealand this spring.
Sires With Winners - Sunday December 22
Here is the full list of 54 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Is He the Next Via Sistina or Buckaroo?
The Fastnet Rock x Galileo cross is a formidable one and has produced this spring’s elite Group I winners Via Sistina (IRE) and Buckaroo (GB) with another lightly raced import bred the same way in Gilded Water (GB) going two for two in Australia with a cavalier win at Randwick on Saturday.
Brave Smash Winning Double Hong Kong
The Sha Tin meeting on Sunday produced some great  results for the Yarraman sires with Brave Smash (Jpn) posting a winning double and Hellbent siring a promising new three year-old winner.
Little Brose to Stand at Little Avondale
Arguably there is no better stallion making race in Australasia than Victoria's only Gr.1 event for two-year-olds, the Blue Diamond Stakes, and when you add the hottest bloodline in the Southern Hemisphere to the mix, you have an exciting stallion prospect. 
Passage seeking Summer at Flemington
New Zealand colt Summer Passage is one of two Group I winners nominated for Saturday’s Group II Danehill Stakes (1200m) at Flemington where he has come seeking drier weather.